


baby it's cold outside

by prosodiical



Category: Final Fantasy X-2
Genre: F/F, Huddling For Warmth, Post-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-11
Updated: 2016-02-11
Packaged: 2018-05-19 15:35:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 864
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5972136
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/prosodiical/pseuds/prosodiical
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rikku and Paine are stuck when a storm rolls in. At least they have each other.</p>
            </blockquote>





	baby it's cold outside

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Eida](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Eida/gifts).



"It's not far," Rikku mocks in Shinra's voice, then falls to grumbling. "What part of this is 'not far'?"

"Rikku," Buddy says, over the comm; it's been crackling for the last half-hour as she and Paine have been climbing around the caves and paths of Mt. Gagazet. "A storm's coming in."

Rikku chances a glance at Paine, straight-backed and not even panting, damn her and her stupidly attractive self; Paine's looking up at the sky, the clouds heavy and low. "Should we head back?" Paine asks, and looks at Rikku as though she has an answer.

Rikku's cold, goosebumps running along her skin, and while they're apparently getting _closer_ there's still no sphere in sight. "I vote yes," she says, "guys, get us out of here!"

But as their luck goes, their comm crackles into silence. Rikku bites her lip and stares at it, then hits it with her hand once, twice. "Argh!" she yells, stamping her foot. "You stupid piece of - "

The wind's picking up. Paine rests her hand on Rikku's arm, steadying and warm, and Rikku looks up at her, words falling silent into the space between them. There's already snow on the mountaintops, and Rikku can feel the ice starting to form in the air; Paine's eyelashes are starting to frost over, glittering in the light from the cave. "We shouldn't chance it," Paine says, calm as ever, and Rikku makes a face and sighs.

"Yeah, let's go inside."

The interior of the moutain is a maze, paths carved to nowhere in the space, natural ledges and drops covered by luminescent moss that lights Paine's face an eerie green. Rikku chances glances at her when she can, because she can't draw herself away from the curve of Paine's jaw, the edges of her collarbone, the deep saturated color of her eyes. Paine's looking around, searching for a space; they're far enough in now that the howl of the wind outside is just an echo, but the chill is not entirely gone from the air as she pulls Rikku up into a nook against a wall, just large enough for two.

"We should be able to stay here until the storm dies down," Paine says, and nods at the comm Rikku's still holding, uselessly in her hands. "You said..."

"Yeah," Rikku says. "I can. Probably. Leave it to me!" She grins, and is warmed by Paine's rare returning smile, the way it lights up her face and crinkles the corners of her eyes and Rikku can't help her sudden shiver, the cold catching up to her all at once. "Ugh," she mutters, "should've brought a warmer dressphere."

"Here," Paine says, and slides her arm around Rikku's middle, slightly warmer skin against Rikku's own, but when her fingers rest on Rikku's side Rikku yelps and scoots.

"Hey, that's cold!" she says, and pushes at Paine's hand, catching her fingers with her own. Paine huffs a laugh, warm against Rikku's shoulder, and Rikku realises she's half in Paine's lap, the press of leather against Rikku's legs reassuring and strange. "You're supposed to warm me up," Rikku says, and pouts up at Paine; Paine's mouth is twitching into a smile that widens as she bodily reels Rikku in.

Rikku yelps, flails; she ends up curling an arm around Paine's neck as their legs tangle together, Paine's face barely inches from her own. "Um," Rikku says, momentarily lost for words, and she can't stop looking at Paine's mouth, her soft, inviting lips as she tries to read Paine's expression, completely opaque. "Paine?"

Paine's eyebrows furrow, and she says, "You did - " and Rikku can hear the hesitance in her voice as she swallows. "I do like you, Rikku," she says, and Rikku can't help the tiny, high-pitched noise she makes as suddenly things click into place.

"Oh," Rikku says, still a little high, "oh," and she can feel the heat of her blood rushing to her face, as she ducks her head and tries not to giggle. "I - I was kinda obvious, huh?" she says, and when she glances up Paine's smiling, a little bemused, and Rikku just has to - she darts in for a kiss.

Paine keeps her there, a hand winding up into her hair, an arm around her waist; Paine's fingers rub circles into her hip and Rikku slides her hands up Paine's sides, nips at her mouth and kisses her until they're both breathless with it, until Rikku feels flushed and warm and she's giggling, delighted, into Paine's mouth. "Come on," Rikku says, and Paine's mouth curves under hers.

"Shouldn't you be fixing that?" Paine murmurs, and nudges Rikku; Rikku doesn't even spare their discarded comm a glance.

"Nah," she says, "it's not broken. Interference or something?" She shrugs, pressing closer to Paine, her warmth and enticing bare skin. Rikku kisses Paine's shoulder, her neck, feels Paine's grip tighten on her hips, and smiles against Paine's skin. "We can't leave until the storm blows over," she says, hopeful, and gives Paine her best, practiced pout; Paine sighs and presses their foreheads together, breathing the same air.

"I suppose," she says, and Rikku grins and pulls Paine down with her, warm, flushed, and happy.


End file.
